The animated children’s series Pearl, developed by Meghan Markle and announced as part of her multi-million dollar deal with Netflix, has been at the center of a controversy over alleged plagiarism.
British author Mel Elliott, creator of Pearl Power, claims that the project pushed by the duchess has “too many and too obvious” similarities to her work, first published in 2014.
Elliott claims to have sent legal letters to Netflix and Archewell, Meghan’s production company, with no response.
Meghan Markle’s Pearl
Meghan’s series, which was canceled less than a year after its announcement, told the story of a girl who becomes empowered by meeting influential women in history. An approach that Elliott said was strongly reminiscent of the message of her own books, also starring a young girl named Pearl who espouses feminist values.
What bothered him most, he confesses, was that none of the accused parties acknowledged his claim or responded to his personal letters sent in 2021 and 2022.
While Elliott clarifies that she cannot prove that Meghan’s team has been aware of her work, she believes that the lack of recognition for lesser-known creators in the industry remains a common and troubling practice.